§ Mr. HigginsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the dates on which his Department has received representations from Worthing borough council and the right hon. Member for Worthing regarding providing seaside councils with further byelaw powers to control the use of jet skis in designated areas of the sea; for what reasons he has decided not to take any action; and if he will now give these powers to local authorities.
§ Mr. Charles WardleI have been asked to reply.
We received representations about the provision of additional byelaw-making powers to control jet skis from my right hon. Friend on behalf of Worthing borough council in February 1992. A reply was sent on 2 March 1992. This matter has now been considered further and I refer my right hon. Friend to the Government's response to the second report from the House of Commons Select Committee on the Environment on coastal zone protection and planning (CM 2011), which is published today. This states that the Government intend to issue a discussion paper which will include consideration of
the scope for improving local authority powers to control water sports and pleasure boats in inshore waters, making it easier to implement zoning in different activities which may be incompatible for safety, nature conservation or other reasons, and to control behaviour which causes a public or environmental nuisance" (paragraph 49).